Iran war day 107: Washington, Tehran close to signing first stage of deal

The United States and Iran look adjacent to signing the archetypal signifier of a bid deal, but some sides are offering antithetic timelines arsenic to erstwhile it volition happen.

US President Donald Trump and mediators from Pakistan accidental an statement is scheduled to beryllium signed connected Sunday. But Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it volition not beryllium Sunday – and an nonstop day has yet to beryllium set.

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So, what bash we cognize arsenic the struggle enters its 107th day?

In Iran

Marking the archetypal day of the 12-day war, Iran’s main negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said connected Saturday that Iranians volition basal until “final victory”. “Following the illustration of the heroic and oppressed martyrs of the 12-day war, we volition basal to the past enactment for the pridefulness and last triumph of our beloved Iran,” Ghalibaf posted connected X.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israeli aims to weaken the Iranian federation failed during Israel’s 12-day warfare past June. Iran’s unity forced the adversary to judge a ceasefire, helium said connected Saturday.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said connected Friday that the statement consisted of 14 points, the archetypal of which is the lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports. He said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) calls for an extremity to hostilities crossed each fronts, including Lebanon, and an statement not to initiate warfare oregon usage force.

War diplomacy

Trump wrote connected Truth Social that aft a model woody is signed, the Strait of Hormuz, a captious artery for planetary lipid supplies that Iran has blocked, would instantly beryllium “open to all”. “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and instantly aft it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL,” a station connected Trump’s authoritative Truth Social level work connected Saturday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said connected Saturday that the signing day was yet to beryllium determined, but “it volition not beryllium tomorrow.” However, helium added: “The anticipation of this happening successful the coming days cannot beryllium ruled out.”

The “finalisation” of this statement is expected “within the adjacent 24 hours”, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday connected X, adding that it volition beryllium signed electronically, without going into further item oregon specifying what this would involve.

Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, DC, said the US president has suggested that the memorandum of knowing betwixt the US and Iran volition beryllium signed virtually. “Now, the US president’s docket has been posted for Sunday. There is nary notation of a virtual signing ceremony. However, it tin beryllium added,” she said.

Al Jazeera’s Almigdad Alruhaid, reporting from Tehran, said the way to a woody is person than ever, but the last determination to motion the statement has not yet been announced by Iranian officials. “It’s present been 24 hours since Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Iranians were reviewing the draught substance of the memorandum of understanding,” helium said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the warfare successful tandem with the US successful February, said Trump had promised him immoderate statement would see the removal of the enriched atomic material.

In the US

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said connected Saturday that Iran had “launched aggregate one-way onslaught drones successful an effort to onslaught commercialized ships transiting the Strait [of Hormuz]”. It added that “US forces person downed each of them successful caller hours.”

Democratic lawmakers person expressed scepticism implicit Trump’s plans, with 1 congressman describing the imaginable woody arsenic “basically a surrender document”. “The President says the warfare is over. I anticipation that helium is right,” Adam Schiff, legislator for California, said connected X. “But we person heard this before. Along with a raft of breached promises.”

In Lebanon, Israel

Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett, reporting from Beirut, said Israeli attacks proceed successful Lebanon contempt reports of a nearing Iran deal. “There were dawn aerial strikes successful the municipality of Deir ez-Zahrani, which killed 2 radical successful the territory of Nabatieh. The politician of a municipality called Rihan successful the territory of Jezzine was killed this morning. And 1 idiosyncratic was killed successful a cemetery conscionable southbound of the metropolis of Tyre,” she said. “Hezbollah has besides said it has been targeting Israeli soldiers who person been trying to advance.”

Israel’s subject says aerial sirens person sounded successful the northbound of Israel pursuing a “hostile craft infiltration”. It said “two impacts of suspicious aerial targets successful Israeli territory were identified adjacent the Israel-Lebanon border.”

The expected statement has besides prompted an aboriginal backlash successful Israel, with immoderate commentators saying it volition further empower Iran. “The lone lawsuit whose powerfulness outweighs the subject victories we achieved successful caller years implicit Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran is the governmental decision we suffered against them instantly afterward,” Israeli columnist Ben Caspit wrote successful Maariv.